Noah Ebije, Kaduna
In a major restructuring of ministries in Kaduna State, Governor Nasir El-Rufai has signed an Executive Order creating and restructuring the ministries in the state.
The order also abolished the Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Tourism, Ministry of Rural and Community Development and the Ministry of Water Resources.
The new order amended the mandates of the ministries responsible for local government, women and social development, works and sports.
However, the restructuring did not increase the number of ministries beyond the 14 that existed in his first term.
This was contained in a statement issued yesterday by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor (Media and Publicity), Samuel Aruwan.
Aruwan noted in the statement that the Executive Order abolished the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism; Ministry of Rural and Community Development and the Ministry of Water Resources and amended the mandates of the ministries responsible for local government, women and social development, works and sports.
“The newly created ministries include Business, Innovation and Technology which will coordinate the development of skills, business, trade and manufacturing in the state. It also takes over the technology portfolio from the Ministry of Education and is expected to encourage the development of the digital ecosystem in the state. The new ministry will promote tourism and regulate tourism facilities in the state.
“Housing and Urban Development has the mandate to ensure the construction and maintenance of public buildings and to promote the expansion of the housing stock in the state. It will also be in charge of ensuring the enforcement of development control regulations, and the implementation of urban planning and country planning policies and urban renewal programmes in the state.
“Internal Security and Home Affairs has the mandate to coordinate internal security matters and liaison with security agencies in the state. It is expected to enhance the state government’s capacity to address security challenges. It will also supervise the activities of parastatals and agencies performing home affairs functions.”
The statement added that ministries with amended or expanded mandates include, “Human Services and Social Development, which will be the lead agency of the government in promoting and protecting the welfare of women, youths and vulnerable groups in the society.